Locking-block for automatic guns.



No. 760,871. PATENTED MAY 24, 1904. T. o. JOHNSON. LOCKING BLOCK FOR AUTOMATIC GUNS.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 7. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

39 that class of guns in which the gun has a re- I UNITED STAT-Es y Patented Mayfl, 1904.

ATENT OFFICE.

CHESTER REPEATING ARMS CORPORATION.

OF HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A

' LCCKiNG-BLOCK F RAU OMATIC GUNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Iietters Patent No. 760,8'71,'dated May 24, 1904.

Application filed December 7, 1903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. JOHNSON, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and 5 useful Improvement in Firearms; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the numerals of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the I same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a broken view, in side elevation, -of a gun containing one form which my improved locking-block may assume; Fig. 2, a

detached reverse plan view of the locking block and its handle; Fig. 3,-a corresponding View of the block and handle in side elevation;

Fig. 4, a view of the gun in transverse section on the line a 6 of Fig. 1;.Fig. 5, a de- 0 tached view of one of the modified forms which the locking-block may assume; Fig. 6, a broken plan view of the operating-handle thereof; Fig. 7,'a detached view, in side elevation, of another modified form which my improved locking-block may assume; Fig. 8, a view in vertical transverse section, showing the operating-handle illustrated in Fig. 7 applied. to a locking-block.

My invention relates to an improvement in a coiling barrel furnished with a barrel exten- Sion and in which the breech-block is locked in its closed position against recoil by means of a pivotal locking-block which engages with the barrel extension, the object of my present invention being to provide simple and convenient means for manually moving the locking-block from its locked to its unlocked position to permit .the gun to be unlocked and 4 opened without moving the barrel and barrel extension.

With these ends in view my invention consists in a locking-block having an operatinghandlc connected directly with it for unlocking the breech-block from the extension of the recoiling barrel of the gun. 1

My invention further consists in certain de- Serial No. 184,050. on model.)

- tails of constrution and combinationof parts,

particu 'rec'oiling barrel 6, the said extension sliding back and forth in the gun-frame 7 and more fully shown anddescribed in my pending application, filed June 29, 1903, serially numbered 163,630. The said operating-handle 2 has a hub 8, which passes through the upper portion of the lateral ejection-opening? in the righthand wall of the gun-frame 7 an hrough a circular opening 10 in the breech-block 4, the 5 said ejection-opening providing clearance for the handle as it moves back and forth with the breech-block and locking-block. The said hub 8 terminates in a screw-th readed stem 1 I, which enters a threaded opening 11, formed to re- 7 ceive it in the axial center of one end of a large knuckle 12, formed at the front end of the lock.- ing-block 3 and constituting the pivot on which the'sam'e swings. At its rear end the lockingblock enters a locking-notch 13, formed in the 7 5 top of the barrel extension 5. Under this construction the operating-handle 2 p artakes of every movement of the locking-block and is virtually integral therewith and might, indeed, be made actually so if convenient to do so. 30 In the normal or automatic action of the gun the locking-block 3 is automatically drawn down out of its locked position for unlocking the breech-block 4 from the barrel extension 5 by means of an o crating rod or bar 14, hav- 5 ing its forward efid pivotally connected directly with the locking-block and its rear end entered into the forward end of a follower 15, located in the chamber 16 in the upper tang 17 of the gun-frame 7 and having its rear end 9 engaged by a spiral breech-block-closing spring 18, which exerts a constant eifort to push the breech-block forward into its closed position and also a constant effort to lift the locking-block into its locked position. Now

in order to open the gun manually without movingthe rccoiling barrel the user grasps the knurled button described and by turning it swings the locking-block down out of engagement with the barrel extension, leaving the breech-block free to be drawn rearward by the button, which is turned against the tension of the said spring 18, which is pressing the locking-block upward at the time.-

In the construction shown by Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings the operating-handle 19' is pear shaped in form and horizontally arranged and constitutes a lever the rear end ofwhich is pressed down upon by the user to manually disengage the locking-block from the barrel extension, after which the breech-block may be drawn rearward by the handle, which in this vform also manually operates against,

the tension of thebreech-block-closing spring.

In the construction shown by Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings the operating-handle is eggshaped in form and vertically arranged and has a solid hub 2O, furnished at its inner end with a threaded opening 21 for the reception of a short threaded-stud 22, formed integral with the locking-block 3.

In View of the modifications shown and described it is apparent that my improvement may take still other forms. I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to the constructions shown, but hold myself at libert to make such departures therefrom as fair fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention,what

I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a gun; the comblnatlon w th a recoiling barrel, barrel extension and breech-block,

of a locking-block mounts-din the breechblock, coacting with the barrel extension for locking the breech-block in its closed position and provided with an operating-handle for manually operating it 'to unlock the breechblock, and a breech-block-closing spring connected with the breech-block through the medium of the said locking-block and exerting'a constant efiort to lift the same into engage' ment with the said barrel extension, the locking-block being manually operated by its-handle against the tension of the said spring.

2. In a gun, the combination with a recoiling barrel, barrel extension and breech-block,

of a locking-block'mounted in the breech-i block,'c0acting with the barrel extension for v locking the breech-block in its closed position,

and provided with an operating-handle con-- nected directly with it and consisting of a knurled button the hub or stem of which passes -through the said gun frame and breech-block andinto the locking-blockso asto be concentric with the axis on which the same turns.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS o. JOHNSON. Witnesses: DANIEL H. VEADER,

GARDNER W. ALLEN. 

